Best Women-Centric TV Shows Streaming Right Now

There exists a huge chasm in TV and Movie industries across the world between men and women as leads of shows. Even that “female power” scene in Avengers: Endgame felt flat because it was unearned. However, there are some absolute gems on TV with a predominantly female cast or a female lead that are doing a marvelous job (pun intended!). Here are a few shows that are must watch for their representation of female characters, female friendships and sometimes even female relationships for your consideration.

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Younger

Platform – Hotstar
Cast – Sutton Foster, Hillary Duff
Seasons – 5

Synopsis: “A recently divorced 40 year-old mother pretends to be a 26 year-old to land a job in publishing when she can not find a job revealing her actual age.”

Younger, created by Darren Starr is based on the book of the same name by Pamela Redmond Satran. This sitcom is led by an eminently talented cast, at the forefront of which are its women – Sutton Foster, Hillary Duff and Co. Like his other creation, Sex and the City, Younger’s foundations lie in female friendships which comes as a breath of fresh air in a world where most female characters are shown as catty and pulling each other down rather than help build each other up. Liza (Foster) is fortunate enough to have two very strong female friends in her corner: Maggie (Mazar), her lesbian friend supporting Liza through her subterfuge pretending to be a millennial and Kelsey (Duff), the friend Liza makes at Empirical and with whose support she learns the ins and outs of publishing.

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One of the most effective elements of Younger is that because seasons have only 13 episodes, the storytelling does not require a lot of filler episodes which keeps the storytelling tight. This show uses pop culture references to represent the differences between generations which leads to hilarious situations for ex – when Liza (pretending to be a 26 year old) does not know what “Sliding into someone’s DMs” implies.

“Kelsey: As Taylor Swift said, there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”

Younger is a fun, entertaining and light sitcom with a brilliant cast and an exceptional creator. It is highly recommended for its energy and its positive take on female friendships.

Current Status – Season 6 is about to kick off on June 12th, 2019

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GLOW

Platform – Netflix
Cast – Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Marc Maron
Seasons – 2

Synopsis: GLOW is the story of Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie), a struggling actress in 1980s Los Angeles who finds her last chance for stardom when she’s thrust into the glitter and spandex world of women’s wrestling.

GLOW is one of those shows that as an audience member we do not know what to expect from. Based on the short-lived but popular Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (G.L.O.W), this show is a sitcom style, fictional retelling of how the real G.L.O.W came into existence and became the phenomenon that it was. At the core of GLOW is the frenemy relationship between Ruth (Brie) and Debbie (Gilpin) and how their interaction with other women on the team frames how GLOW comes together.

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Each episode follows a different character’s story and their reasons for being part of the team. This kind of storytelling structure allows all characters an opportunity to shine and show emotional range in their acting. Speaking of acting, this show is brilliant in that department and in fact Betty Gilpin won an Emmy™ nomination for her portrayal of Debbie “Liberty Belle” Eagan. Alison Brie has proved her comedy chops in Community and she is just as good here as she was in that show. Marc Maron plays the grumpy director Sam Sylvia and this role is tailor-made for him. He is also one of the only main male characters on the show and he knocks it out of the park with his tough guy act. The other actresses on the show are very well cast in their roles and deliver in each episode.

Unlike Younger, with its chick-lit vibe, GLOW takes funny down a more dark comedy path. It is one of the funniest shows on Netflix and is very binge-worthy.

Current Status – Renewed for Season 3

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Fleabag

Platform – Amazon Prime Video
Cast – Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman
Seasons – 2

Synopsis: Fleabag is the story of a woman struggling with life, difficult family, the death of a friend and a job that can’t pay for her lifestyle.

The thing with British Sitcoms is that unlike American sitcoms they have a very dry sense of humor and Fleabag is no exception to that rule. Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been quite celebrated after her adaptation of Codename Villanelle books – Killing Eve – has found mainstream success but Fleabag was her baby as she has created, written and acted in the show and does all of that brilliantly. This is through and through Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s show and the end result is hilarious.

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The humor in this show is vicious and full of savage one-liners and the acting is quite sublime. The entire cast supports the show well but Waller-Bridge is outstanding in the role of the title character (whose real name we never learn by the way). The force with which Waller-Bridge portrays her character is so strong that the viewer is compelled to follow her every move. This show is both critically acclaimed and a fan favorite because of its honesty in an emotional and sexual context. The characters on this show may not always be likable but they are very relatable. Watch this for Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s genius, believe me, that is reason enough.

Current Status – Show Ended on 8 April 2019

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